Couch, Tanabe, Iwamoto & The Tackets Tonight At Unrivaled2 In Japan

Three of the top rising American stars will challenge some of Japan's top jiu-jitsu talents tonight at Unrivaled2.

Feb 25, 2023 by Carlos Arthur Jr.

Couch, Tanabe, Iwamoto & The Tackets Tonight At Unrivaled2 In Japan

Tonight in Japan Unrivaled2 will host several of the brightest rising starsin an event that features an innovative ruleset.

Three superfights will pit prominent Americans against renowned local Japanese talents. Unrivaled2 will feature Jacob Couch, William Tackett, and Andrew Tacket representing the USA. Igor Tanabe, Kenta Iwamoto, and Murilo Takeshi Souza will represent Japan against the American grapplers.

The Unrivaled ruleset has some peculiar differences from major grappling events. Dominant positions such as mount, back take and side control are only worth two points. Takedowns and sweeps are two points as well. If one of the athletes manages to escape from any ground pins and return to a stand position, an escape point will be awarded. Guard pulling will be penalized with two negative points.

Break calls are another interesting feature of this ruleset. The call allows the referee to pause the action and restarts it in the center of the mat in a stand position. If an athlete caught in a submission from the guard holds his attacker up in a standing position above the waist, the referee will call a break. Stalling or lack of offensive/defensive positioning will end in a break call from the referee as well.

Alongside the three main superfights, the card features six additional superfights with local athletes. See the full Unrivaled2 card below.

-83.9kg: William Tackett (Checkmat) vs Kenta Iwamoto (Igloo)

Two athletes who reached the 77kg bracket of ADCC 2022 will face off at Unrivaled2. William Tackett flies to Japan to put his strong back takes and leg attacks to the test once again. Champion of the ADCC West Coast trials, the 22-year old athlete continues his pursuit for a spot among the greatest in grappling. On the other side, the Japanese Kenta Iwamoto enters the mat to show his strength and technique. Champion at the ADCC Asian & Oceania Trials, Kenta demonstrated an offensive game at ADCC 2022 in Las Vegas, falling in the first round, Iwamoto demonstrated his tenacity..

-90kg: Jacob Couch (Pedigo Submission) vs Igor Tanabe (Igloo)

"The Hillbilly Hammer" Jacob Couch brings his submission-heavy style to the mats in Japanese. Coming off a win at Tezos WNO and recently promoted to black belt on the podium of the IBJJF No-Gi Worlds, Couch enters the fight with the promise of an aggressive leglock game against Japan-based Brazilian athlete, Igor Tanabe. Igor, who recently submitted the MMA legend Melvin Manhoef, comes with all the local support, ading some intensity to this bout.

-77.1kg: Andrew Tackett (Checkmat) vs Murilo Takeshi Souza (Bonsai)

The 19-year-old black belt Andrew Tackett is a rising star ready to conquer the world of grappling. Absolute champion at the massive ADCC Las Vegas Open, IBJJF No-Gi World Champion in 2022, Andrew earned his black belt last December and starts his rookie campaign in Japan. His opponent is Murilo Souza, younger brother of Roberto Satoshi and Marcos Souza, who's been competing in jiu-jitsu since an early age.